Potato picker or gatherer



C. FOWLER.

POTATO PICKER 0R GATHERER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, I9I9.

1, 85 1 948 I Patented Sept. 7, 1920.

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POTATO PICKER 0R GATHERER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, 1919.

W ITA/55555 V35 J fn/nbias M. wm-J Cha/jle@ jgZef UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PoTATo Prensa on GATHERER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 7, 1920..

Application filed March V29, 1919. Serial No. 286,062.

T 0 all whom i?? may concern Be it known that l, CHARLES FowLieR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tomkins Cove, in the county ot Rockland and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in .Potato Pickers or Gatherers, of which the following is a specification. Y Y

This invention relates to a device for picking or gathering potatoes or other' vegetables or fruits from the surface oi' the ground, the object of the invention being to provide a device which will rapidly and elliciently gather and elevate the potatoes or other vegetables or fruits and deposit the same into a suitable receptacle,

Another object of the invention is to provide a gatherer which may be applied to an ordinary farm wagon or like traveling vehicle and detached therefrom when its use is not required.

Still another object ot the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive construction oi gatherer which will gather and deiosit the articles in such manner as to reduce or obviate liability of injury thereto. y

The invention consists ot Vthe features ot construction, combination and arrangement ot parts hereinafter tally described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the gatherer' and a. portion oia vehicle to which it is applied.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 1s a plan view of the gathering scoop.

lFig. 4 is a detail section through the gathering belt. Y

Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing a different arrangement of the gatherer. Y

F 6 is a top plan view oi the same.

In carrying my invention into practice, l provide a gatherer or picker comprising horizontal transverse supporting shaft l. upon which are mounted supporting wheels 2 which wheels may be mounted upon the shaft in any suitable manner. Supported by the shaft 1 is a carrier frame, vcomposed of two side frame pieces eachrconsisting of a main vertical arm or upright 3 having at its upper end a forward horizontal projecting arm 4 and at its lower end a substanti ally triangular bracket member 5. One ot the side frame pieces is further provided with a rearwardly projecting horizontal arm (i, arranged substantially in horizontal alinenient with the shaft 1, vfor a purpose hereinafter described. V

Extending between and connecting like portionsv ot the two side traine members are rods er shafts 7, 8,9, 10, 1l and 12, which connect said side trame members to form a unitary trame structure, and journaled upon the shafts at opposite sides of the trame are duplicate sets of guide sprockets 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18, the sprockets 13 and 14k being arranged at opposite ends oli the arms 4l, and the sprockets 15 about midway of the length oi said arms below the level of said sprockets 13 and 14,-, while the sprockets 16, 17 and 18 are arranged upon the horizontal base portions ot the triangular' brackets 5 with the axes of the sprockets 1G and 18 f-:ubstantially in horizontal alinement or at the same level and the axis ot the smaller sprocket 17at such a point as to dispose the lower portion ci the periphery ot said sprockets a short distance below the level ol' the lower portions oi the peripheries of the sprockets 16 and 18. Mounted upon and arranged to travel around the atoresaid sprocket wheels is an endless gathering belt 19 composed of a pair oi side chains 2O and 21 connected at spaced intervals by cross bars the two chains being thus adapted to move at the same rate ot speed in unison. The bars 22 are provided with rows ot gathering lingers 23, the lingers or" each row being arranged in spaced relationship transversely et the belt and said fingers being longitudinally curved from their butts or inner ends toward their tips or free ends, thus forming in coniunction curved pockets to receive and hold the potatoes or other vegetables or truits gathered from the ground and to convey them from the ground without displacement to an elevated point for discharge. l Y

- The trame structure is pivotally mounted upon the axle 1 so that the belt 19 may be adjusted or properly disposed with relation to the rear end et a wagon body or bed 24 in connection with which the gatherer is to be used. it being understood that the device is designed to be employed as an attachment for a farml wagon or other like vehicle, whereby when the vehicle is drawn or propelled across a field the gatherer will operate in rear thereot to pick or gather the potatoes or other vegetables or fruits and deposit the same into the wagon body. For the purpose of securing the frame to the wagon body the frame members are provided about in line with the axlev l with hooks or other V28 on the wagon body'by turnbuckles 29,

whereby the supporting framev of the gatherer maybe fixed to the vehicle body against any but a slight tilting movement,

while at the Sametime it be adjusted in a forward or rearward direction to properly dispose Ythe delivery portion of the vbelt with relation to the receiving portion of the wagon body for the purpose of insuring the discharge of the potatoes or other articles into the receptacle in a reliable manner and with ;a minimum degree of drop for fall, whereby liability of bruising or otherwise injuring the potatoes or articles will be reduced or entirely avoided.

, Y It will be observed that the lower portion of the belt extends around thersprockets 1G, l? and 18 in such a manner as to form a broad bight or loop at the base of the belt, and that the beltthence extends forwardly inthe form of front and rear ascending and descending stretches, while the upper portion of the belt extends in the form of an elongated horizontal loop over the sprockets 13, ll-and l5, providing a portionrof the belt which uts or projects forwardly beyond the line of the forward stretch of the belt so as tooverhang the rear end of the wagon body, the front ascending or delivery section Y of the belt thus being provided with a horizointal delivery portion 30 arranged `in advance thereof for a depositing action as'described. Y

'ln practice the wagon body 2l may be provided with any suitable means for receiving the potatoesfor other articles to be delivered, but in the present instance it is shown as divided into compartments V3l, 32, etc., over which is arrangedv an inclined plane or runwayl 33 having slots 35, etc .therein communicating with the respective compart-` ments, the said runway being further provided at'its higher or receiving end with an inclined upwardly and rearwardly project- Y ing ledge or shelf 36. By this construction and arrangement of the ledge or shelf 3(3,it

will be seen'that such ledge or shelf projects beyond the rear end of thewagon and is arranged so as to come/immediately below the delivery portion 3Q of the gathering belt,A

thus disposing the shelf so that the potatoes or other articlesv delivered from vthe discharging Vlingers of the belt pass therefrom to the shelf in an easy and convenientmanner and with a verysmall drop ofi" or fall se that injury thereto will be prevented. The slots in therunway 33 communicating with potatoes into different grades or sizes which will be deposited in the respective compartments, thus sorting out the potatoes at the time of delivery.

Carriedby the hanger bars 37 at the lower end of the frame is a gathering scoop or shovel 38,. This' scoop orshovel is in the form of a grate, having spaced longitudinal tines connected at their forward end l cross bar 39 and at an intermediate point by aV cross bar 40, the latter being provided with lugs il fastened to the hangers 37. The forward'portion of theY scoop, namely that portion lying in advanceY of the bar Llt), is downwardly and forwardly inclined or curved and forms a gathering portion d2, while the rear portion of the shovel, namely the portion in rear of the-bar Ll0 vforms a receivingplatform 43, which is concavo-convexly curved. ln the forward travel of the gatherer the bar) penetrates the ground to a sulicient extent to .gather up the potatoes or other articles which travel up the inf/'lined gathering portion d2 of the scoop and thence pass to the platform portion i3 in the concave surface of which they seat, whereby they are retained from displacement while the gathering fingers 23 of the lower gathering portion of the endless gathering belt enter between the tines of the platform and scoop upthe potatoes therefrom, as clearly illustrated in l. The scoop or shovel is preferably made Vof spring metal or other resilient material, and as the gatherer travels forward this is, vibrated sutliciently Vto* cause the soil adhering to the potatoes to work loose and Vdrop* downwardly through the spa-ces between ythe tines. It will be obvious from ythe foregoing description that the potatoes takenup by the lingers 23 will be carried by the ascending stretch of the belt upwardly and discharged from the delivery portion 30 of the belt on to the le( ge 36, from which they will pass into the diesired receiver or receivers within the wagon 46 carried by the frame arm AG. On the shaft 46l is a sprocket wheel 47 connected by a chain L8 with a sprocket wheel i9V on the shaft 7, through which said shaft 't' is drawn to communicate motion to the belt. it will,` of course, be understood that in practice one or bothwheels may have a clutch connection with theaxle l for transmitting driving motion to the axle to be communicated to the belt and also to permit short turning motion oi the gatherer, in the manner similar to the wheel mounting of diilerent types of i uitural implements.

ln Figs. 5 and (S l have shown an arrangement wherein the gath \r is disposed at one side oi t e wagon body Qdi and is coupled by its fastening connections to a draft bar extendingsuitably beyond such side ot the lilith this arrangement it is obvious that the gatherer may work along one side or the vehicle, allowing the latter' to be i"awn at a point outside the row or rows f which the vegetables or fruits are bei gathered, without liability ot the vegeured the draft animals or wheels of the vehicle. This construction also permits the gatherer to be operated around and between trees and close to fences or other obstructions for a gathering operation while the vehicle is running in a line clear of the vegetables or 'fruits 1t will be observed that the construction of the gatherer is the same as that before described, but that the delivery portion thereof is disposed to deposit the fruit or vegetables into an inclined chute 5l, suita ly fastened to the trame th not, as indicated at 52, whereby the :gathered fruit vegetables will roll by g ity into the vehicle or into any suitable receptacle carried thereby or arranged theiem.

l. ln a device of the character described,

combination with a vehicle body, of a wheeled support arranged exteriorly ot and 'i ,roxiinity to said vehicle body, gathering i-- mounted on the support for picking a Y'cles trom the ground, and an endess belt. arranged to take up and elevate the gathered by the gathering means, aid belt being provided with a looped horiontal portion connecting its ascending and scending stretches, said portion jutting outwardly beyond the ascending stretch so as to partially overhang the vehicle body.

2. ln a device ont the character described, the combination with a vehicle body, of a gathering device arranged in proximity to said vehicle body, said gathering device comprising an axle having supporting wheels, a trame pivotally mounted on said axle, means for adjustably securing said trame to the vehicle body and holding it when secured against tilting motion, gatherfingers carried by the trame to take up articles from the ground, an endless belt carried by the trame to take up and convey said articles from the gathering lingers to the vehicle body, said belt being provided with a looped horizontal portion connecting the upper ends ot its ascending and descending stretches and projecting outwardly beyond the plane of the ascending stretch so as to partially overhang the vehicle body, and means for driving said belt.

3. A oevice of the character described comprising an axle provided with supporting wheels, a trame mounted on said axle, gathering means at the lower end ot' the frame for picking up articles from the ground, an endless belt upon the frame provided with iingers to pick up and elevate the articles from the gathering means, said belt being provided with a delivery portion projecting horizontally beyond the vertical plane of the elevating portion of the belt, and means for transmitting driving motion to the belt.

A device oi the character described comprising an axle, supporting wheels upon the axle, a frame carried by the axle, a grated gathering shovel supported by the frame and having a forward gathering portion sloping upwardly and rearwardly and a rear receiving portion longitudinally concaved, said portions being formed of spaced elements, a gathering belt mounted upon the trame and provided with gathering iingers to pass between the spaced elements oi the platform and piclr up and elevate the articles therefrom, said belt being provided at its upper end with a horizontal delivery portion projecting beyond the vertical line of the delivery portion thereof, and means driven by the running gearing of the device for driving the belt.

5. A device of the character described comprising an axle, supporting wheels on the axle, a trame tiltably mounted on the axle, fastening devices arranged at different elevations for adjustably securing the frame to a traction member and holding the frame when secured against tilting motion, a grated gathering shovel at the lower end ot the trame, an endless belt supported by the trame and provided with gathering fingers, said belt having an upper portion extending horizontally beyond the vertical plane of the ascending stretch of the belt. and means operative in the movement of the device for imparting motion to the belt.

In testimony whereof 1 ailix my signature.

CHARLES FOWLER. 

